Military veterans experience a whole new ballgame

Thursday

Nov 21, 2013 at 12:01 AM

As we descended the mobile stairway from the "Freedom Bird" that had flown us from Southeast Asia, several of my companions dropped to their knees, leaned over and kissed the oil-stained ramp. An Airman Second Class materialized from an Air Force blue Thomas-Built bus and ushered us aboard for the ride to the main terminal at Travis Air Force Base.

Denny Whalen

As we descended the mobile stairway from the "Freedom Bird" that had flown us from Southeast Asia, several of my companions dropped to their knees, leaned over and kissed the oil-stained ramp. An Airman Second Class materialized from an Air Force blue Thomas-Built bus and ushered us aboard for the ride to the main terminal at Travis Air Force Base. "Get aboard, gentlemen," he instructed, "it's a short ride, but I have to give you a briefing on the way. The sooner we get going, the sooner you can make travel arrangements home." We were all for that — getting home. For most of us, it had been a year since we had deployed from this self-same base, and we were in a hurry to rejoin spouses and families.Once aboard and crammed, two men with carry-on bags, into each of those school-bus style seats, the airman stood in the aisle and began to deliver his briefing as the bus lurched into motion. "Some of you heard parts of this as you processed off your overseas bases. Just bear with me, please. First, you have a day and time difference to become adjusted to. We are nine hours earlier than your watches probably show. What's more, today is Monday. It's Tuesday in Hanoi. That means, theoretically, you are reliving a day. For those of you headed for the East Coast, the time differential is going to play havoc with your meal and sleep times. Good news is that you should get acclimated within a month."We were nearing the terminal building, and guys started to tighten their grip on their carry-on bags in preparation for the rush to baggage claim and awaiting buses and taxi cabs. As the bus jerked to a stop, the airman held up his hand to check our movement. The bus sat idling, door closed while the airman completed his spiel."A couple more words to the wise, fellas. I have to advise you to change into civvies before you leave the base. The natives are hostile toward returning and deploying military personnel. More so than when you left last year. In uniform you will be spit upon and harassed. You may not get as much hassle in civilian clothes, but there's no promises. You'll be called baby killers and worse. Your luggage, in some cases your haircuts, and in many cases, your demeanor, will all be recognized and mark you as military. Do not, I repeat, do not, go into downtown San Francisco unless you are looking for trouble, cuz, it will, in all likelihood, find you. Am I clear? Any questions? Oh, yeah, you'll be directed to customs after you claim your bags."A few quiet seconds lapsed, then the airman motioned for the driver to open the door and quickly stepped out of the way.The airman was right — on all counts. Instead of being welcomed home as the "conquering heroes" (we hadn't yet lost the war), we were treated as pariahs everywhere but in small town America, where people knew us before Vietnam. Perhaps it was the way we were deployed: as individuals rather than units and returning after a year as individuals. Units that were deployed moved primarily on military aircraft and weren't exposed to the general population in transit.The longer the war dragged on, the worse it became in the States for the warriors. There appeared to be peace only in the company of other vets, although many looked for it in drugs, alcohol or solitude. People scoffed at post-traumatic stress as a genuine ailment, and it was decades before the government owned up to at least some of the diseases caused by Agent Orange.That low-ranking airman was spot-on in his prediction about acclimation, too. I would be ready for bed when the rest of the family was rising. I ate meals with them, and then more meals on my old schedule. I went overseas weighing 175 pounds, returned weighing 157, and a month after coming home I tipped the scales at over 200 pounds.I date the change in America's attitude toward military personnel to the return of the POWs on Feb. 12, 1973. They who had endured so much more than those of us who rotated in and out of the theater were greeted as every vet should have been and have been pretty much ever since.There are those who would say the attitude adjustment toward the American military came with the soaring patriotism after 9/11. There certainly was a surge on the heels of the victory of Desert Storm, too, which was the last of the war coverage shared over the dinner table. Actually, the television coverage was a constant 24/7. I wonder why the media doesn't cover our current Southwest Asia exploits like they did in Southeast Asia? I'm not the least bit bitter over the difference in recognition and treatment vets experienced back in the '60s and early '70s and what they experience today. However, I am embarrassed by the many "thank you for your service" greetings that have been birthed by the media, commercial and social. I just hope they keep honoring our military as they have been in recent years. The sacrifices our men and women in uniform make in serving are far greater than can be imagined or recompensed. My prayers are always with them.Denny Whalen ranks his service as one of the high points in his life. He says there is a camaraderie among people in uniform approximated only by that of firefighters, law enforcement officers and rescue personnel.

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